THE  LIBRj\RY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


C378 

UK3 

1892c 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


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36700 


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TRUTH  AND  RIGHTEOUSNESS, 


Baccalaureate  Sermon^ 


By  J.  W.  Carter,  D.  P., 

+ -^To  the  Class  of  '92. 


'•''Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth;  and  righteousness 
shall  look  dow7i  from  heaven.''"' — Psalms  Ixxxv:  11. 


PUBLISHED  BY 
THE  SENIOR  CLASS  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


RALEIGH,  N.  C: 

Edwards  &  Broughton,  Printers  and  Binders. 

1892. 


^\j 


TRUTH  AND  RIGHTEOUSNESS. 


''Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth;   and  righteousness  shall  look 
down  from  heaven.'' — Psalms  lxxxv:  ii. 


Heaven  and  earth  were  made  for  each  other.  The  same 
infinite  God  created  both.  I  am  not  here  to  tell  you  when 
He  made  them,  or  how  He  made  them,  but  the  fact  upon 
which  I  insist  is  that  He  did  make  them  by  methods  and 
processes  of  His  own  choice.  He  linked  them  together  in 
sympathy  and  interest.  It  was  His  evident  intention  that 
each  should  sustain  fixed  and  definite  relations  to  the  other. 
Earth  received  love,  care  and  counsel  from  heaven,  and 
gave  back  love,  reverence  and  loyalty  to  heaven.  Each 
needed  the  other.  When  sin  came  and  threatened  to  divorce 
earth  from  heaven,  God  would  not  allow  the  two  worlds  to 
be  separated.  When  the  bonds  by  which  they  were  first 
joined  together  failed.  He  replaced  the  broken  bonds  by 
others  that  were  better  and  stronger. 

If  a  planet  should  break  away  from  its  orbit,  and  go  wildly 
rushing  through  space,  disaster  would  be  almost  certain. 
There  might  be  a  "crush  of  worlds."  Now  earth  was  torn 
from  the  spiritual  orbit  in  which  it  was  intended  to  move; 
but  Jesus  Christ  came  in  our  own  human  form  and  nature, 
to  arrest  a  guilty  world  in  its  retreat  from  God,  bringing  it 
back  from  its  wanderings,  and  restore  it  to  fellowship  with 
heaven.  It  is  said  that  "there  is  joy  in  the  presence  of  the 
angels  of  God  over  one  sinner  that  repenteth."  (Luke  xv  :  10.) 
The  angels  are  bright  and  happy  spirits  that  not  only  sing 
and  soar  and  shine  in  heaven,  but  they  watch  the  conflicts 
and  struggles  of  earth,  and  when  any  sinner  repents  they 
rejoice.  You  and  I  do  not  see  them,  but  they  see  us.  We 
cannot  see  the  holy  heights  of  glory,  because  "  the  veil  of 


1/i 


flesh  "  which  "  hangs  darkly  between  "  hides  heaven  from  our 
mortal  vision;  but  surely  earth  and  heaven  cannot  be  so  far 
apart,  when  the  repentance  of  one  sinner  on  earth  sends  a 
thrill  of  gladness  through  heaven.  Surely  earth  should  look 
up  to  heaven  with  joy  and  confidence,  because  heaven  looks 
down  on  earth  with  compassion.  In  the  text  of  this  morn- 
ing, we  are  reminded  by  the  writer  of  the  eighty-fifth  Psalm 
that  the  Lord,  in  the  beginning,  established  relations  of  sym- 
pathy and  cooperation  between  heaven  and  earth. 

"  Truth  shall  spring  out  of  the  earth :  and  righteousness 
shall  look  down  from  heaven."  The  subject  about  which  I 
want  to  talk  to  you  to-day  is  Truth  and  Righteousness. 

I.  Let  us  first  notice  that  truth  does  s-pring  out  of  the  earth. 
The  first  statement  of  our  text  is  manifestly  true.  But  here 
a  question  that  is  both  simple  and  profound  arises. 

It  is  this  :  What  is  truth  ?  It  is  an  ancient  question.  It 
has  echoed  through  the  centuries.  It  has  been  asked  mil- 
lions of  times.  Anj^body  can  ask  it,  but  it  is  hard  to  answer. 
It  was  Pilate's  question.  That  is  a  thrilling  scene  that  is 
described  in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  the  fourth  gospel. 
The  perfectly  holy,  but  falsely  accused  and  wickedly  con- 
demned Jesus  stood  before  the  haughty  Roman  ruler,  and, 
speaking  with  quiet  dignity,  said  :  "  My  kingdom  is  not  of 
this  world :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would 
my  servants  fight  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews  : 
but  now  is  my  kingdom  not  from  hence."  When  Pilate 
heard  the  lowly  prisoner  speak  of  His  kingdom,  he  eagerly 
asked  :  "  Art  thou  a  king,  then  ?  "  Jesus  calmly  answered  : 
"Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end  was  I  born, 
and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world,  that  I  should  bear 
witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth 
heareth  ni}'-  voice."  Then  the  baffled  and  troubled  Pilate 
grimly  exclaimed,  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  and  without  waiting  for 
an  answer  went  out.  (John  xviii :  36-38).  What  is  truth  ? 
Various  answers  have  been  given  to  the  question.  But  every 
man  who  feels  the  kingly  power  of  the  truth,  and  bows  to 


its  royal  majesty,  knows  that  he  cannot  full}'  define  it.  One 
definition  says  that  the  truth  is  harmony  with  the  Divine. 
It  is  agreement  wdth  God.  He  is  the  Supreme  and  All-glori- 
ous. In  Him  all  possible  perfections  combine  without  any 
mingling  of  error  or  touch  of  human  weakness.  Every  fact 
of  His  Universe  is  truth.  Every  act  which  agrees  with  the 
methods  by  which  He  governs  the  world  is  truth.  Every 
thought  and  word  and  deed  which  agree  with  His  word  or 
will  are  truth. 

Another  definition  says  that  the  truth  is  realit}-.  "We  may 
hate  the  real,  denounce  it,  and  deny  its  existence,  but  it  is 
still  truth.  We  may  love  the  unreal,  praise  it,  and  worship 
it,  but  it  is  still  falsehood.  We  cannot  make  truth.  We  can 
search  for  it,  find  it,  and  rejoice  in  it.  We  can  love  it  and  live 
it.  We  can  enthrone  it  in  our  hearts,  and  exalt  it  in  our 
lives.  But  we  cannot  manufacture  it.  Christ  Himself  did 
not  come  to  create  truth  that  did  not  exist  before,  but  to 
reveal  and  declare  truth  that  had  existed  from  the  begin- 
ning— not  to  make  new  truth,  but  to  bear  witness  to  ancient 
and  eternal  truth.  It  is  just  as  true  that  we  cannot  unmake 
truth.  We  may  oppose  and  oppress  it;  we  may  employ  all 
earthly  weapons  in  life-long  attempts  to  destroy  it,  but  it 
still  survives,  and  will  judge  us  in  the  great  and  final  day. 
Neither  can  we  fully  comprehend  it.  It  is  vast  and  myriad- 
sided.  It  constantly  presents  aspects  which  are  new  and 
strange.  We  may  compile  our  creeds  and  systems  of  phil- 
osophy. Perhaps  we  may  put  much  truth  into  them.  Pos- 
sibly they  are  all  truth;  and  it  may  be  that  we  think  that 
they  contain  the  whole  of  the  truth.  But  we  are  greatly 
mistaken.  The  truth  is  so  mighty  and  measureless  that  we 
cannot  make  any  vessel  large  enough  to  hold  it  all.  Some- 
times when  we  are  ready  to  think  that  we  have  about  mas- 
tered it,  it  suddenly  flashes  some  new  ray  of  light  into  our 
minds  and  dazzles  us  with  its  brightness,  or  turns  upon  us 
some  aspect  that  we  never  saw  before,  and  confounds  us  with 
a  sense  of  our  ignorance.     If  we  try  to  pour  it  into  the  largest 


6 


earthen  vessel,  we  will  find  that  it  will  overflow  in  mighty 
waves  which  will  roll  away  to  the  ends  of  the  universe.  But 
if  we  are  earnest  students  of  the  truth,  it  will  steadily  grow 
upon  us.  Here  I  recall  a  passage  from  one  of  Frederick  W. 
Robertson's  sermons.  He  said :  "  The  truth  is  infinite  as  the 
firmament  above  you.  In  childhood  both  seem  near  and 
measurable,  but  with  years  they  grow  and  grow,  and  seem 
further  off,  and  further,  and  grander,  and  deeper,  and  vaster 
as  God  Himself;  till  you  smile  to  remember  how  you  once 
thought  you  could  touch  the  sky,  and  blush  to  recollect  the 
proud  and  self-sufficient  way  in  which  you  used  to  talk  of 
knowing  and  preaching  the  truth."  A  man  who  thinks  that 
he  knows  all  the  truth,  or  that  his  little  mind  can  hold  it 
all,  is  as  mistaken  and  foolish  as  the  child  that  stretches 
upward  his  puny  hands  and  thinks  that  he  can  snatch  the 
moon  from  the  overarching  skies. 

Now,  it  is  a  fact  that  truth  sjjrings  out  of  the  earth.  God 
made  this  great  green  earth  for  man.  It  is  a  mighty  maga- 
zine of  forces  and  resources.  But  nature  is  a  good  secret- 
keeper.  Myriads  of  facts  are  locked  up  in  her  faithful  keep- 
ing. She  is  not  loose-tongued.  She  does  not  give  up  her 
secrets  easily,  but  she  guards  them  with  ceaseless  vigilance, 
and  holds  them  with  stubborn  grasp.  Yet,  if  we  will  come 
into  sympathy  with  her,  learn  her  language,  get  close  to  her 
great  heart,  and  commune  with  her,  she  will  speak  to  us 
with  countless  voices,  and  tell  us  ten  thousand  things  that 
we  never  knew  before.  Every  object  that  is  above,  around 
or  beneath  us,  has  its  own  peculiar  history.  Every  stone  by 
the  wayside,  every  dust  that  floats  in  the  air,  everj''  wind  that 
blows,  every  water-drop  in  fountain,  stream  or  ocean,  every 
mineral  that  lies  hidden  in  the  earth,  every  stratum  of  rock 
beneath  our  feet,  every  plant  that  grows,  every  flower  that 
blooms,  every  earth-worm  that  burrows  in  the  ground,  and 
every  living  creature  that  creeps  or  walks  on  the  earth,  flies 
in  the  air,  or  revels  in  the  waters — yes,  everything — can  tell 


us  something  that  is  new  and  startling  about  itself,  if  we 
will  only  learn  its  language. 

Much  of  the  work  of  science  is  to  make  truth  "  spring  out 
of  the  earth."  When  man  began  his  career,  he  knew  but 
little  of  nature,  and  still  less  of  the  processes  by  which  she 
is  wooed  and  won.  It  looked  as  if  he  was  the  helpless  ser- 
vant of  nature,  and  as  if  she  could  smite  and  buffet  him  as 
she  pleased  in  return  for  the  little  which  she  gave  to  him. 
But  he  slowly  advanced.  His  knowledge  of  nature  and  her 
methods  steadily  increased.  Every  inch  of  ground  was  stub- 
bornly contested.  Every  forward  step  cost  struggle  and 
anguish.  Students  and  philosophers,  Colleges  and  Universi- 
ties, have  been  diligent  and  patient  in  their  efforts  to  wring 
the  secrets  of  nature  from  her  sealed  lips  and  closed  hands. 
They  have  made  many  mistakes,  and  suggested  many  false 
theories;  they  have  often  halted  for  a  long  time  in  front  of 
some  painful  problem,  but  they  have  overcome  enormous 
difficulties,  and  made  wonderful  discoveries.  As  a  result  of 
their  labors  civilization  is  pushed  forward,  comforts  and  con- 
veniences are  multiplied,  and  the  conditions  of  life  are  vastly 
improved.  In  former  ages  the  lightning  seemed  to  be  as 
capricious,  defiant  and  unmanageable  as  anything  could  be. 
But  now  man  has  converted  it  into  his  useful  servant.  He 
snatches  God's  own  fierce  lightning  from  along  its  own  sun- 
path  in  the  trackless  heavens,  and  uses  it  to  flash  the  whis- 
pers of  love,  the  rumors  of  war,  and  the  fluctuations  of  trade 
across  the  continents,  and  under  the  oceans,  "  in  the  twink- 
ling of  an  eye."  At  his  bidding,  it  works  his  machinery 
and  drives  his  loaded  cars  along  his  railways.  He  harnesses 
it  to  the  chariots  in  which  he  rides.  The  millions  who  cul- 
tivate the  soil,  and  those  who  work  in  the  mines,  and  those 
who  navigate  the  waters,  and  those  who  labor  in  the  shops 
and  factories,  and  those  who  toil  in  the  homes,  and  those 
who  teach  and  are  taught  in  the  schools,  are  all  greatly 
indebted  to  modern  science  for  the  benefits  and  advantages 
which  it  brings  to  mankind.     In  all  directions  the  domain 


of  human  knowledge  is  widened.  Not  only  does  scientific 
truth  "spring  out  of  the  earth,"  but,  it  seems  to  me,  that 
many  hints  and  suggestions  of  moral  truth  come  from  the 
same  source.  I  know  that  nature  is  often  severe.  She  has 
no  mercy  on  those  who  break  her  laws,  and  offers  no  pardon 
to  those  who  sin  against  her.  But  to  the  reverent  spirit  she 
is  a  teacher  of  religious  truth.  When  God  made  man  and 
placed  him  on  the  earth,  He  knew  that  our  wants  w^ould 
increase  in  number  and  extent,  and  provided  for  them.  All 
that  is  needed  for  our  physical  nourishment  and  comfort, 
and  our  mental  stimulation,  is  put  within  our  reach,  and  is 
locked  up  in  earth,  and  air,  and  fire,  and  water.  And  now, 
as  science  marches  along  its  path  of  conquest ;  as  it  multi- 
plies its  triumphs;  as  it  uncovers  new  resources  and  discov- 
ers new  forces;  and  as  it  makes  new  uses  and  applications 
of  forces  long  known,  does  it  not  proclaim  the  foreknowledge, 
wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  and  remind  us  of  the  duty  of 
giving  praise  to  Him? 

But  the  progress  of  science  still  continues.  The  time 
when  it  can  be  said,  "  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  but  no 
farther,"  is  doubtless  far  away  in  the  future.  At  the  present 
time  truth  "springs  out  of  the  earth"  more  readily  and 
abundantly  than  ever  before.  But  more  still  remains  to  be 
done.  Nature  is  only  partially  conquered.  She  still  holds 
thousands  of  secrets  which  she  will  yet  reveal ;  and  Astron- 
omy, Geology,  Chemistry,  Botany,  Zoology  and  the  other 
sciences  are  the  methods  of  persuasion  by  which  she  is 
induced  to  talk  to  us,  and  tell  us  much  that  the  past  could 
not  learn. 

We  all  rejoice  in  the  prosperity  of  this  honored  institution 
of  learning,  which  will  soon  close  its  first  century  of  labor 
and  usefulness;  and  we  do  not  forget  that  one  purpose  for 
which  it  was  established,  and  for  which  it  still  exists,  is  to  aid 
in  the  work  of  causing  truth  to  "  spring  out  of  the  earth." 

II.  We  next  notice  that  righteousness  looks  doum  from 
heaven.     Righteousness  is  right-doing.     If  we  do  right  from 


9 


right  motives,  we  are  righteous ;  but  if  we  do  wrong,  we  are 
unrighteous.  True  righteousness  regards  the  state  of  the 
heart  as  well  as  the  outward  life.  If  we  inwardly  love  truth, 
goodness,  purity,  and  duty,  and  consistently  follow  them, 
we  are  righteous.  But  if  we  love  any  form  of  falsehood,  or 
iniquity,  or  engage  in  any  evil  practice,  we  are  unrighteous. 
Righteousness  requires  not  only  that  we  shall  be  pure  and 
truthful  in  our  speech,  honest  in  our  dealings,  and  honora- 
ble in  all  the  relations  of  life,  but  that  we  shall  also  worship 
and  serve  the  living  God.  It  demands  that  we  shall  love 
both  God  and  man,  and  regard  all  moral  and  christian  obli- 
gations to  both  God  and  man.  Some  people  claim  that 
because  they  are  moral,  or  because  they  speak  the  truth,  pay 
their  debts,  and  are  decent  in  their  lives,  or  because  they  are 
not  thieves,  liars,  drunkards,  or  libertines,  they  are  good 
enough  for  both  earth  and  heaven,  and  God  is  bound  to 
save  them.  But  they  have  not  considered  the  breadth, 
depth  and  height  of  righteousness.  While  morality  is  always 
better  than  immorality,  is  always  good  as  far  as  it  goes,  and 
should  always  be  encouraged,  it  is  not  all  there  is  of  right- 
eousness. Godliness  is  the  highest  form  of  righteousness. 
As  the  highest  form  of  righteousness,  it  includes  the  lower 
forms  of  righteousness;  but  the  lower  forms  of  righteous- 
ness do  not  always  include  the  highest  form. 

A  young  man  is  a  clerk  in  a  great  wholesale  store  in 
which  scores  and  hundreds  of  other  clerks  are  employed. 
He  treats  his  fellow-clerks  properly  ;  he  doesn't  deceive  or 
cheat  them  ;  he  takes  no  unfair  advantage  of  them  ;  but  he 
robs  his  employer  to  enrich  himself.  Most  of  the  money 
that  he  squanders  on  himself  or  invests  for  his  profit  is 
stolen.  Yet  he  insists  that  he  is  a  good  and  true  man, 
because  he  does  not  steal  from  the  other  clerks.  But  is  he 
righteous?  Surely  he  is  not.  You  know  that  he  is  a  thief. 
But  he  is  very  much  like  the  men  who  think  that  the  gates 
of  glory  will  fly  wide  open  before  them,  because  they  treat 
their  fellow-men  fairly  and  kindly — though  they  rob  God  of 


10 

the  love,  praise  and  service  which  He  requires.  Scripture 
righteousness  includes  not  only  morality,  but  also  sincere 
worship  and  spiritual  religion. 

But  it  is  a  fact  that  we  are  all  sinners.  We  have  all  broken 
the  perfect  law  and  exposed  ourselves  to  the  wrath  of  God. 
Our  moral  nature  is  corrupt;  and  sin,  like  a  cleaving  and 
clinging  curse,  taints  our  blood  and  lives.  There  is  not  one 
of  us  who  can  boast  of  a  righteousness  that  is  sufficient  to 
justify  him  before  the  heart-searching  God.  It  is  not  in  our 
power  to  take  our  guilt  away,  or  change  our  perverse  nature. 
The  holy  law  threatens  to  overwhelm  us  with  the  awful  con- 
demnation which  crushes  the  angels  that  sinned  and  fell. 
We  cannot,  without  help  from  above,  raise  ourselves  from 
sin  and  earthliuess  to  fellowship  with  God.  What,  then,  can 
we  do?  Is  there  any  way  of  escape  for  us?  Yes,  there  is. 
Legal  righteousness  cannot  save  us ;  but  gospel  righteous- 
ness can  lift  us  to  heights  of  bliss  so  lofty  that  angels  and 
archangels  look  up  to  them  with  admiration.  "  God  so 
loved  the  world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life."  (John  iii :  16).  There  is  one  who  is  "mighty 
to  save."  Jesus  Christ,  the  divine  Son  of  the  infinite  Father, 
came  into  the  world  in  the  likeness  and  nature  of  man ;  lived 
the  life  of  faultless  obedience  and  stainless  holiness ;  helped 
the  needy;  healed  the  sick,  and  raised  the  dead;  died  the 
death  of  sacrifice;  went  down  into  the  lonely  grave;  con- 
quered death  in  his  wintry  territory;  rose  from  the  dead  and 
ascended  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  where  He  "  ever 
liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us."  He  is  our  Almighty 
Saviour,  and  if  we  truly  repent  of  our  sins,  turn  from  them 
to  Him,  lay  hold  upon  Him  by  faith,  and  come  into  union 
with  Him,  we  will  find  that  "  Christ  is  the  end  of  the  law  for 
righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth  "  (Rom.  x :  4),  and 
that  "  the  righteousness  which  is  of  faith  "  can  cleanse  our 
guilt  away,  change  us  from  nature  to  grace,  and  robe  and 
crown  us  in  heaven.     How  we  should  love  Christ,  and  devote 


11 


our  powers  and  lives  to  His  service !  How  we  should  honor 
and  exalt  Him  !  I  do  not  wonder  that  the  ancient  prophets 
looked  forward  with  unrestrained  gladness  to  His  coming. 
Many  of  them  lived  when  times  were  dark  and  threatening. 
Sometimes,  as  they  sat  upon  the  "  Mount  of  Vision,"  and 
peered  away  through  the  dense  gloom  into  the  far  future,  no 
star  of  hope  rose  before  them.  They  almost  feared  that  the 
great  waves  of  wickedness  would  roll  all  around  the  earth 
and  drown  out  every  spark  of  faith  and  goodness.  They 
were  often  in  the  deepest  distress.  The  tears  gathered  in 
their  eyes,  and  their  souls  were  bowed  down  with  grief  But 
they  would  suddenly  catch  a  glimpse  of  the  promised  Christ, 
and  of  the  greatness  and  glory  of  His  Kingdom ;  and  then 
their  faces  would  brighten  with  joy  ;  the  tear  that  had  started 
in  the  eye  would  forget  to  fall ;  the  sigh  that  had  swelled 
the  heart  would  die  half-born  on  the  lips ;  and  the  prophets 
of  Israel  and  the  poets  of  Judah  would  shout  their  songs  of 
triumph,  and  sweep  anew  their  harp-strings  to  the  praise  of 
God! 

Noiv,  ive  are  told  that  righteousness  looks  down  from  heaven. 
It  is  so.  There  is  no  touch  or  taint  of  sin  in  heaven.  It  is 
the  glorious  abode  of  everlasting  righteousness.  "  There  shall 
in  nowise  enter  into  it  anything  that  defileth,  neither  what- 
soever worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie."  (Rev.  xxi :  27). 
The  inhabitants  of  heaven  are  all  perfectly  righteous.  The 
angels  that  surround  the  throne  are  as  righteous  as  God  Him- 
self can  make  them.  "  The  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect" 
have  risen  to  unmingled  righteousness.  God  is  infinitely 
righteous.  His  Kingdom  is  a  Kingdom  of  righteousness.  But 
He  is  exalted  so  far  above  us,  that  we  cannot  solve  all  the  mys- 
teries of  His  government.  When  we  try  to  explain  His  move- 
ments and  methods  in  Providence,  we  often  fail  most  griev- 
ously, because  our  knowledge  is  so  limited.  In  our  attempts 
to  understand  His  ways  and  works,  we  are  often  dazzled  by 
that  "  excess  of  brightness  "  which  produces  the  most  pain- 
ful blindness.     Speaking  out  of  the  unseen  glory,  He  says: 


12 


"  My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts ;  neither  are  your  ways 
my  ways,  saith  the  Lord.  For  as  the  heavens  are  higher  than 
the  earth,  so  are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my 
thoughts  than  your  thoughts."  (Isaiah  Iv:  8,  9).  We  dwell 
in  a  kind  of  murky  twilight.  We  see  only  some  fragments  of 
the  past  and  the  present.  The  future  is  all  hidden  from  our 
gaze.  We  look  at  things  from  the  lowly  standpoint  of  this 
life.  With  dimmed  eyes  and  imperfect  vision,  "  we  see 
through  a  glass  darkly;"  and,  of  course,  we  make  many 
mistakes.  But  God,  who  beholds  the  past,  present  and  future 
at  every  glance  of  His  eye;  takes  in  all  the  interests  of  all 
worlds  at  every  thought  of  His  mind,  and  directs  the  march 
of  events  from  the  height  of  His  own  throne,  often  sees 
order  where  we  see  chaos,  gains  where  we  see  loss,  and  suc- 
cess where  we  see  failure. 

On  the  14th  of  April,  1865,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  assas- 
sinated. The  gigantic  war,  which  is  still  so  fresh  in  the 
recollections  of  multitudes  of  the  American  people,  was  just 
closing.  The  victorious  North  was  all  in  a  blaze  of  rejoicing, 
while  the  defeated  South  was  almost  crushed  with  depression. 
The  whole  country  was  convulsed  with  excitement.  But 
just  at  the  time  when  Lincoln  would  have  proved  to  the 
world  how  generous  and  great-hearted  he  could  be  in  the 
hour  of  his  triumph,  he  was  struck  down  by  the  assassin's 
bullet.  The  nation  felt  the  shock.  That  shot  touched  mil- 
lions of  American  hearts.  Next  day  thousands  of  excited 
men  gathered  at  Union  Square  in  New  York  City.  They 
were  angry  and  turbulent.  Each  man  felt  as  if  he  wanted 
to  avenge  the  death  of  the  fallen  President.  Persons  and 
property  were  threatened.  But  at  a  critical  moment  a  stranger 
of  fine  appearance  stood  on  the  platform  and  made  a  brief 
speech.     He  said  : 

"  The  Lord  reigneth  ;  let  the  earlh  rejoice  ;  let  the  multi- 
tude of  isles  be  glad  thereof.  Clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  Him  :  righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation 
of  His  throne."     (Psalms  xcvii:  1,  2). 


The  people  were  calmed,  and  violence  was  prevented. 
That  stranger  was  James  A.  Garfi-eld.  A  little  more  than 
sixteen  years  afterwards,  when  he  was  President  of  the 
United  States,  another  assassin  fired  another  fatal  shot.  After 
eighty  days  of  languishing,  another  murdered  President 
went  down  through  the  prayers  of  millions  into  the  grave; 
and  again  we  were  reminded  that  though  "clouds  and  dark- 
ness are  round  about  Him,"  yet  "righteousness  and  judg- 
ment are  the  habitation  of  His  throne."  Yes!  "  clouds  and 
darkness  are  round  about  Him,"  but  it  is  eternally  true 
that  "  righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  His 
throne."  Often  the  clouds  and  darkness  are  so  thick  that 
the}^  obscure  the  righteousness  and  judgment;  but  when 
the  clouds  and  darkness  pass  away,  and  are  gone,  the  right- 
eousness and  judgment  still  remains,  and  shine  like  the  sun 
in  his  splendor.  The  righteous  heaven  looks  down  with 
sjanpathy  upon  this  sinning  and  suffering  world.  The  right- 
eousness of  heaven  bends  downward  to  help  us  in  our  trials 
and  sorrows,  and  guide  us  onward  and  upward  until  we 
shall  see  "the  King  in  His  beauty." 

III.  There  is  the  fullest  agreement  between  truth  and  right- 
eousness. It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  men  often  con- 
tradict each  other  in  the  name  of  truth  and  righteousness ; 
but  in  this  world  no  man's  righteousness  is  perfect,  and  no 
man's  knowledge  of  the  truth  is  perfect.  Sharp  disputes 
arise  between  some  men  whose  righteousness  is  imperfect, 
and  other  men  whose  knowledge  of  the  truth  is  imperfect; 
but  the  contentions  in  which  they  engage  are  not  a  warfare 
between  truth  and  righteousness,  but  rather  a  fight  between 
ignorance  and  bigotry  There  can  be  no  positive  disagree- 
ment between  absolute  truth  and  pure  righteousness.  No 
antagonism  can  divide  them,  because  both  come  from  God. 
In  heaven  they  walk  together  hand  in  hand,  and  live  together 
in  sweetest  accord  ;  and  on  earth  they  seek  each  other.  The}'- 
can  no  more  oppose  each  other  than  God  Himself  can  be 
opposed  to  Himself     There  cannot  be  a  conflict  between 


14 


them  any  more  than  there  can  be  a  conflict  between  heat 
and  light,  or  a  conflict  between  sun,  moon  and  stars. 

Righteousness  is  based  upon  truth.  It  needs  the  truth  for 
its  guidance.  It  is  a  consistent  practice  of  the  truth. 
Truth  is  the  foundation  of  righteousness,  and  righteous- 
ness is  the  natural  fruit  of  the  truth.  Righteousness 
without  truth  would  soon  die,  and  truth  without  right- 
eousness would  cease  to  be  a  blessing.  The  greatest  of  the 
Apostles  said  :  "  The  wrath  of  God  is  rev^ealed  from  heaven 
against  all  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men  who 
hold  the  truth  in  unrighteousness."  (Rom  i :  18.)  It  is  not 
enough  for  us  to  "  hold  the  truth,"  but  we  must  hold  it  in 
righteousness.  Much  depends  upon  the  spirit  in  which  it  is 
held.  To  hold  even  the  truth  in  unrighteousness,  is  a  sin 
w^hich  cries  aloud  for  the  withering  wrath  of  heaven.  We 
must  hold  the  truth  righteously,  and  be  righteous  through 
obedience  to  the  truth.  Truth  and  righteousness  are 
related  as  closely  as  the  railroad  track  and  train.  The 
well  graded,  well  laid  and  well  ballasted  track  is  useless 
without  the  train ;  and  the  well  equipped  and  well  manned 
train  is  helpless  without  the  track.  Each  calls  for  the  other. 
As  the  train  needs  the  track,  so  righteousness  needs  the 
truth;  and  as  the  track  guides  the  train,  so  the  truth  guides 
righteousness.  If  we  possess  tlie  truth  without  regard  to 
righteousness,  we  are  like  a  man  who  has  a  good  railway 
track  but  no  train  to  run  on  it.  But  if  we  seek  righteous- 
ness without  regard  to  truth,  we  are  like  one  who  has  a  com- 
plete train,  but  no  track  for  it  to  run  on.  While  the  train 
keeps  on  the  track,  it  is  safe,  unless  the  track  is  obstructed ; 
but  when  it  leaves  the  track  it  rushes  on  to  ruin  and  death, 
and  is,  perhaps,  crushed  into  a  shapeless  mass  of  broken 
timbers,  mangled  flesh  and  splintered  bones.  As  long  as 
righteousness  follows  the  truth,  we  may  know  that  it  is 
genuine;  but  when  it  departs  from  the  truth,  moral  peril 
comes. 

In  this  age  of  discussion,  it  is  often  said  that  there  is  "  an 
irrepressible  conflict "  between  science  and   religion.     It  is 


15 


sometimes  declared,  with  great  emphasis,  and  perhaps  with 
intense  bitterness,  that  science  contradicts  the  Bible.  But 
such  statements  are  rash,  and,  indeed,  ahnost  reckless.  I 
am  ready  to  admit  that  some  men's  interpretation  of  science 
does  contradict  other  men's  interpretation  of  the  Bible,  but 
that  does  not  prove  that  there  is  any  necessary  antagonism 
between  them.  The  truth  is  that  neither  is  fully  under- 
stood. We  know  many  things  about  science ;  we  also  know 
many  things  about  the  Bible;  but  we  do  not  know  every- 
thing about  either.  The  Bible  is  old,  but  it  still  lives  in  the 
freshness  of  youth,  and  in  the  hearts  of  scores  of  millions  of 
the  best  men  and  w^omen.  Science  is  young,  and  still  has 
much  both  to  learn  and  to  teach.  The  man  who  can  scale 
all  the  heights,  sound  all  the  depths,  and  measure  all  the 
lengths  and  breadths  of  the  wonderful  book  which  holy  men 
were  inspired  to  write,  has  not  yet  lived.  It  is  equally  true 
that  the  man  who  has  searched  all  the  universe  of  God, 
mastered  all  the  branches  of  science,  and  correctly  interpre- 
ted all  the  facts  of  all  departments  of  science,  has  not  yet 
come.  We  are  still  waiting  for  him,  but  with  no  hopeful 
prospect  that  he  will  ever  get  here.  Now,  when  we  are  living 
without  any  perfect  knowledge  of  either  science  or  the  Bible, 
is  it  modest,  or  even  sensible,  to  declare  that  there  is  a  con- 
flict between  them,  unless,  indeed,  the  contradiction  should 
be  very  evident  and  glaring? 

The  men  who  discuss  the  Bible  and  science  ma}'  be  divided 
into  four  classes.  The  first  class  consists  of  those  who  know 
something  of  science,  but  nothing  of  the  Bible.  The  second 
class  consists  of  those  who  know  something  of  the  Bible,  but 
nothing  of  science.  The  third  class  consists  of  those  who 
know  something  of  both  science  and  the  Bible.  The  fourth 
class  consists  of  those  who  know  nothing  of  either.  And, 
perhaps,  it  is  not  strange  that  the  men  of  the  fourth  class  are 
often  the  most  violent  and  vociferous  of  all  the  debaters. 
They  can  afford  it,  because  they  have  so  little  to  lose.  They 
have  no  knowledge  of  facts  to  restrain  them.     A  few  crude 


16 


second-hand  opinions  are  all  their  stock  in  trade;  and  all 
they  have  to  do  is  to  turn  themselves  loose,  and  hear  them- 
selves talk.  It  is  nothing  new  for  fools  to  "  rush  in  where 
angels  fear  to  tread."  You  may  find  many  an  irreverent 
man  whose  knowledge  of  Christian  truth  is  painfully  limited ; 
but  rough-shod  with  ignorance  and  egotism,  he  stamps  and 
struts  with  heavy  and  reckless  step  over  ground  so  sacred 
that  angels  would  walk  it  softly,  and  with  unsandaled  feet. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  only  men  of  the  third  class — those 
who  have  some  knowledge  of  both  science  and  the  Bible — 
are  at  all  competent  to  discuss  the  subject  to  which  I  refer, 
and  they  are  quite  likely  to  be  modest  and  careful  in  their 
statements.  When  you  hear  some  learned  theologian 
denouncing  some  of  the  conclusions  of  science  in  the  name 
of  the  Bible,  it  may  be  well  enough  to  pause  and  reflect  that 
perhaps  he  knows  very  little  about  science;  or,  when  you 
hear  some  worshiper  of  science  denouncing"  the  Christian 
religion  in  the  name  of  science,  it  may  be  well  enough  to 
stop  and  consider  that,  probably,  he  is  fearfully  ignorant  of 
the  Bible. 

God  has  revealed  Himself  to  us  in  two  books.  One  is  the 
vast  volume  of  nature,  and  the  other  is  the  more  condensed 
volume  of  inspiration.  He  has  given  us  two  revelations  of 
Himself.  One  is  the  nature-revelation,  and  the  other  is  the 
word-revelation.  Though  they  touch  each  other  at  various 
points  and  angles,  yet,  in  the  main,  they  lead  along  different, 
but  often  parallel  pathways ;  open  different,  but  often  adjoin- 
ing fields  of  thought,  and  present  different  aspects  of  the 
divine  character,  and  different  facts  of  the  divine  govern- 
ment. Both  revelations  are  specially  important.  Each  may 
aid  us  in  the  study  of  the  other.  Each  supplements  the 
other.  Each  may  modify  our  interpretation  of  the  other. 
Each  may  help  us  in  rising  to  a  larger  and  better  concep- 
tion of  God,  but  neither  is  perfectly  understood.  I  am  not 
anxious  that  the  Bible  should  agree  exactly  with  the  science 
of  the  present  day ;    for  if  it  did  agree  precisely  with  the 


science  of  today,  it  is  certain  that  it  could  not  agree  with 
tlie  corrected  and  improved  science  of  the  future.  When 
both  shall  be  better  understood  than  they  are  now,  and  shall 
speak  their  last,  best,  truest  word  to  mankind,  it  will  be 
found  that  the}^  will  sustain  and  confirm  each  other.  With 
united  voice,  they  will  declare  the  perfection  of  God;  and, 
living  together  in  everlasting  harmony,  will  serve  His  king, 
dom.  Jesus  Christ  wall  be  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  ; 
His  redeemed  church  will  be  His  Bride,  and  she  w411  go  forth 
in  truth  and  righteousness  to  bless  the  nations;  and  all  the 
sciences  will  bring  their  brightest  trophies  and  lay  them 
down  at  the  feet  of  the  glorified  King  and  His  ransomed 
Bride. 

IV.  Ill  the  formation  of  character,  trutli  and  rightiousness  are 
essential,  and  should  be  intelligently  combined.  The  value  of 
worthy  character  cannot  be  overstated.  What  a  man  is, 
is  vastly  more  important  than  what  he  has.  What  he  has 
may  be  soon  lost,  but  what  he  is  will  endure  forever.  What 
he  has  may  be  only  transient,  but  what  he  is  will  be  eternal. 
Of  all  we  have  in  the  present  world,  we,  when  we  go  hence, 
can  take  nothing  with  us,  except  the  character  that  we  form 
in  this  fleeting  life.  When  we  die,  home  and  friends,  wealth 
and  poverty,  earthl}'  joys  and  sorrows,  honors  and  strivings 
will  all  be  left  behind,  but  the  character  we  make  here  will 
go  with  us  into  the  presence  of  the  Supreme  Judge,  and  will 
decide  our  destiny  in  the  awful  other  world.  Never,  in  lim- 
itless eternity,  can  we  get  away  from  it.  Volumes  of  moral 
truth  and  personal  experience  are  condensed  into  the 
familiar  quotation:  "Sow  the  thought,  and  reap  the  act; 
sow  the  act,  and  reap  the  habit;  sow  the  habit,  and  reap  the 
character;  sow  the  character,  and  reap  the  destiny."  The 
most  important  work  that  God  gives  us  to  do  is  character- 
building.  It  is  solemn,  serious  work,  which  will  outlive  the 
earth  itself.  Every  man  builds  a  character.  Every  man  is  the 
architect  of  a  house,  with  which  he  must  either  stand  or  fall. 
Every  day  that  we  live,  we  are  making  character,  either  good 


18 


or  bad ;  character  which  will  be  either  a  blessing  or  a  curse 
in  eternity  as  well  as  in  time.  In  character-building,  two 
things  are  necessary.  The  first  is  a  safe  foundation.  It  is 
already  laid  for  us,  and  is  waiting  for  us  to  build  on  it.  We 
find  the  foundation  that  we  need  in  the  Christ  of  the  gospel, 
and  in  the  truth  which  He  taught,  and  which  He  is.  Listen 
to  what  He  said:  "Whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of 
mine,  and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man, 
which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock:  and  the  rain  descended, 
and  the  floods  came,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that 
house,  and  it  fell  not;  for  it  was  founded  upon  a  rock.  And 
every  one  that  heareth  these  sayings  of  mine,  and  doeth  them 
not,  shall  be  likened  unto  a  foolish  man,  which  built  his 
house  upon  the  sand :  and  the  rain  descended,  and  the  floods 
came,  and  the  winds  blew  and  beat  upon  that  house,  and  it 
fell ;  and  great  was  the  fall  of  it."  (Matt,  vii :  24-27.)  If  we 
hear  the  words  of  Christ,  and  obey  them,  we  are  wise  build- 
ers, because  we  build  on  the  ancient  Rock  of  the  truth;  and 
it  is  a  foundation  that  can  never  be  moved.  Amid  the 
tempests  of  the  judgment  it  will  remain  as  unshaken  as  the 
throne  of  God.  But  if  we  reject  Christ  and  the  salvation 
that  He  offers,  we  are  foolish  builders,  because  we  build  upon 
the  "sinking  sand."  Our  house  is  doomed.  It  will  tumble 
into  ruins  when  we  need  it  most.  Instead  of  being  a  secure 
refuge,  it  will  be  a  slaughter-house  of  the  soul. 

In  addition  to  a  sure  foundation,  we  also  need  good  build- 
ing materials ;  and  we  find  them  in  the  practice  of  the  pre- 
cepts and  principles  of  righteousness.  The  inspired  apostle 
wrote :  "  Now  if  any  man  build  upon  this  foundation,  gold, 
silver,  precious  stones,  wood,  hay,  stubble ;  every  man's  work 
shall  be  made  manifest :  for  the  day  shall  declare  it,  because 
it  shall  be  revealed  by  fire ;  and  the  fire  shall  try  every  man's 
work  of  what  sort  it  is."  (I  Cor.  iii :  12,  13.)  If  we  build 
our  character  of  the  gold,  silver  and  precious  stones  of  right- 
eousness, our  work  will  endure.  Final  fires — the  fires  which 
will  melt  the  great  globe  and  lick  the  ocean  dry — will  test 


19 


it,  but  will  not  hurt  it.  But  if  we  build  of  the  wood,  hay 
and  stubble  of  earthliness,  our  labor  will  be  in  vain.  It 
will  perish.  The  fire  will  make  short  work  of  it.  A  char- 
acter must  be  a  structure  of  righteousness  built  upon  the 
foundation  of  the  truth,  to  stand  the  final  fiery  test.  The 
character  which  consists  of  righteousness,  founded  upon  the 
truth,  will  abide. 

Here  I  will  mention  two  perils  which  threaten  character. 
One  is  intellectual.  It  is  the  temptation  to  exalt  truth,  and 
especially  secular  truth,  at  the  expense  of  righteousness. 
Ambitious  young  men  see  that  "  knowledge  is  power."  They 
observe  that  trained  intellect  compels  recognition,  and  is  a 
dominant  force  in  the  management  of  the  world's  affairs. 
They  also  know  that  the  leaders  of  thought,  who  rule  the 
nations  by  the  ideas  which  they  enforce,  are  educated  men. 
Many  of  the  best  and  most  promising  young  men  go  to  col- 
lege, and  devote  years  of  patient  labor  to  studies  which  are 
especially  intended  to  develop  and  train  the  intellect.  The 
pursuit  of  knowledge  is  often  most  absorbing.  A  student 
may  be  so  intensely  interested  in  his  work  that  he  heeds  no 
warning  until  the  nervous  collapse  comes,  and  his  body  is 
broken  and  wrecked.  There  is  also  a  worse  peril.  Some 
students  may  come  to  feel  that  secular  education  is  sufficient; 
and  may  neglect  or  pervert  the  moral  and  the  religious  in 
the  development  of  the  intellectual.  But  we  are  often 
reminded  that  mental  culture  is  no  certain  protection  against 
animalism.  Men  may  be  brilliant  and  learned,  and  yet  be 
the  slaves  of  vice.  They  may  have  the  best  training  of  the 
best  schools,  and  yet  be  guilty  and  godless.  They  may  be 
great  and  gifted,  and  yet  wallow  in  selfishness  and  sensu- 
ality, and  walk  the  downward  path  of  moral  degradation. 

Away  in  a  quiet  country  neighborhood  there  is  a  Chris- 
tian home.  The  father  and  mother  worship  the  God  of 
truth  and  righteousness.  Their  religion  brightens  and  beau- 
tifies their  lives.  They  love  their  children,  and  wish  to  give 
them  a  better  chance  than  they  enjoyed.     They  have  a  boy 


20 


who  is  their  pride.  They  send  him  to  college.  They  toil  and 
save  to  support  him  while  he  is  getting  his  education.  They 
look  forward  with  bounding  hope  to  the  time  when  he'will 
finish  his  course  of  study,  and  expect  to  find  the  reward  of 
their  painful  sacrifices  in  his  intelligence,  character,  and 
usefulness.  But  they  are  disappointed.  He  yields  to  temp- 
tation. The  chains  of  evil  habit  are  fastened  upon  him. 
He  opens  his  mind  and  heart  to  ruinous  errors.  He  returns 
home  to  squander  his  manhood  in  wickedness,  and  sneer  at 
the  Bible  and  the  God  of  his  father  and  mother.  It  is  a 
sad  sight.  Angels  might  almost  weep  while  loving  hearts 
almost  break.  Righteousness  is  needed.  Unless  we  add 
righteousness  to  knowledge,  we  leave  great  spaces  and  areas 
of  the  soul  without  cultivation.  Let  us  seek  truth  that  we 
may  use  it  for  righteous  purposes. 

But  there  is  also  an  opposite  peril.  It  takes  the  form  of 
an  overdone  spirituality.  Some  sincere  but  mistaken  men 
who  realize  that — 

"  Religion  is  the  chief  concern 
Of  mortals  here  below," 

think  that,  because  godliness  is  better  than  earthly  learning, 
therefore  all  human  learning  is  worthless.  They  would  not 
only  leave  piety  in  its  own  large  place,  but  they  would  also 
put  it  in  the  place  of  intelligence.  They  claim  that  right- 
eousness is  so  precious  that  it  can  dispense  with  all  truth 
that  requires  special  study.  Of  course,  the  conclusion  is 
false.  It  is  worse  than  that.  It  is  a  burlesque  on  common 
sense.  You  must  combine  truth  with  righteousness  if  you 
would  form  the  kind  of  character  that  a  good  man  must 
have.  People  who  are  so  pious  that  they  despise  useful 
knowledge,  and  do  not  seek  or  love  the  truth,  and  are  not 
willing  to  be  guided  and  guarded  by  it,  are  in  daily  danger. 
Their  righteousness,  if  they  have  any,  is  weak  and  wavering. 
Their  character  is  either  feebly  good,  or  positively  bad.  Even 
if  they  pretend  to  righteousness,  they  run  into  wild  excesses, 


21 


or  rush  into  deadly  errors ;  they  freeze  with  formalism,  or 
burn  with  fanaticism;  or  they  sink  into  mere  sensational- 
ism or  rank  superstition.  It  is  hard  to  restrain  our  contempt 
for  men  who  seem  to  think  that  the  religion  of  Christ 
thrives  on  ignorance,  and  sanctifies  idleness  and  foolishness. 
Spiritual  pride  may  be  as  offensive  as  intellectual  vanity. 
Either  is  an  enormous  injury  to  character.  God  gives  us 
both  brain  and  heart.  He  doubtless  means  that  both  should 
be  cultivated.  If  either  is  neglected,  both  suffer.  No  man 
can  damage  either  without  maiming  and  laming  himself 
most  dreadfully.  The  best  and  grandest  man  is  he  whose 
character  is  the  finest  combination  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness. 

Now,  I  close  with  a  few  words  of  honest  appeal.  Each  of 
us  is  a  character-builder.  There  are  many  things  which  you 
may  never  do.  You  may  never  hold  an  office,  or  make  a 
speech,  or  be  a  candidate,  or  write  a  book,  or  edit  a  news- 
paper, or  cultivate  a  farm,  or  manage  a  store  or  factory.  But 
there  is  one  thing  you  must  do.  You  must  build  a  charac- 
ter. You  couldn't  help  it,  if  you  were  to  tr3^  A  character 
of  some  kind  is  the  inevitable  result  of  the  life  that  you  live 
and  the  pursuits  that  you  follow.  And  the  only  character 
that  is  worth  having — the  only  character  that  is  not  worse 
than  none — is  that  in  which  truth  and  righteousness  are 
combined.  Remember,  also,  that  generally  decisive  direc- 
tion is  given  to  character  while  we  are  young.  The  outlines 
of  the  character  of  the  future  are  commonly  laid  in  child- 
hood or  youth.  In  later  years  there  may  be  much  filling  in 
and  refining,  and  many  additions  and  subtractions,  but  it  is 
not  often  that  the  original  outlines  are  greatly  changed. 

Far  beyond  the  largest  meaning  of  the  strongest  language 
that  I  can  use,  it  is  important  that  the  young  men  who  come 
to  our  State  University  for  intellectual  training  should  form 
and  possess  the  best  character  to  which  they  can  attain. 
What  a  blessing  it  would  be  to  them  hereafter!  How  it 
would  give  them  a  keener  and  juster  sense  of  their  obligations 


22 


to  God  and  humanity  !  How  it  would  enlarge  their  moral 
manhood  !  How  it  would  increase  their  usefulness  !  How 
it  would  widen  and  hallow  their  influence!  How  it  would 
lead  them  along  a  higher  and  brighter  pathway  !  What  an 
untold  benefit  it  would  be,  not  only  to  them,  but  to  us  all, 
to  our  honored  Commonwealth,  to  our  great  country,  and 
to  our  world,  still  bleeding  from  thousands  of  wounds  that 
need  to  be  healed!  Be  faithful  students;  strive  for  the  best 
scholarship;  get  the  richest  and  ripest  culture  that  you  can 
obtain ;  but  above  all,  be  men,  genuine  manly  men — men 
of  sterling  character.  Have  I  not  a  right  to  say  that  your 
wisest  and  safest  friends — parents,  some  of  whom  make 
severe  sacrifices  that  some  of  you  ma}'  be  here;  brothers  and 
sisters,  who  anxiously  await  your  home-coming,  and  are 
eager  to  look  into  your  faces  and  grasp  your  hands;  teachers, 
who  are  so  worthy  of  your  respect  and  confidence,  and  so 
capable  of  giving  the  best  instruction,  and  Christian  friends 
who  follow  you  along  life's  pathway  with  interest  and 
prayer — have  I  not  a  right  to  say  that  all  these  desire,  not 
only  that  you  may  secure  the  best  culture,  but  that  your 
character  may  testify  to  the  wondrous  power  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  Soon  some  of  you  will  go  forth  from  these 
"  classic  shades"  to  fight  the  stern  battles  of  life,  bearing  the 
honors  of  your  Alma  Mater.  She  entrusts  much  of  her  repu- 
tation to  your  keeping.  With  what  deep  interest  will  she 
watch  your  course,  and  with  what  profound  pleasure  will 
she,  in  coming  years,  inscribe  your  names  on  the  lengthen- 
ing roll  of  her  honored  sons,  if  you  add  the  beauties  of  high 
character  to  the  graces  of  broad  scholarship. 

Go  preach  "  the  everlasting  gospel,"  and  tell  the  weary  and 
the  wandering  of  the  Crucified.  Go,  and  in  the  halls  of  leg- 
islation give  your  voice  and  influence  to  the  enactment  of 
righteous  laws,  which  will  secure  "  the  greatest  good  to  the 
greatest  number."  Go,  and  administer  justice  from  the 
bench,  or  plead  for  righteousness  at  the  bar.  Go,  and  carry 
the  benefits  of  the  healing  art  to  the  sick  and  suff'ering.    Go, 


23 


and  adorn  and  dignify  the  teacher's  profession  with  your 
scholarship  and  fidelity.  Go,  walk  "  the  highways  and 
byways  of  literature,  and  enrich  our  libraries  with  fresh 
flowers  plucked  from  Parnassan  heights.  Go,  and  amid  the 
struggles  and  strivings  of  business  life,  show  that  education 
does  not  unfit  men  for  practical  affairs.  Go,  cultivate  the 
soil,  and  prove  that  the  educated  farmer  may  be  the  success- 
ful farmer,  and  that  man's  oldest  occupation  is  still  worthy 
of  his  best  efforts.  But  wherever  you  go  or  whatever  you 
do,  wherever  you  live  or  wherever  you  die,  do  not  forget  the 
abiding  and  supreme  value  of  that  character  which  is  the 
best  product  of  truth  and  righteousness. 


